 |
 | |
| Original author(s) | Frank Warmerdam |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Open Source Geospatial Foundation |
| Initial release | 8 June 2000 |
| Stable release | 3.9.3[1] 
/ 14 October 2024 |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C, C++, Python |
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Library |
| License | X/MIT |
| Website | gdal |
The Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) is a computer software library for reading and writing raster and vector geospatial data formats (e.g. shapefile), and is released under the permissive X/MIT style free software license by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. As a library, it presents a single abstract data model to the calling application for all supported formats. It may also be built with a variety of useful command line interface utilities for data translation and processing. Projections and transformations are supported by the PROJ library.
The related OGR library (OGR Simple Features Library[2]), which is part of the GDAL source tree, provides a similar ability for simple features vector graphics data.
GDAL was developed mainly by Frank Warmerdam until the release of version 1.3.2, when maintenance was officially transferred to the GDAL/OGR Project Management Committee under the Open Source Geospatial Foundation.
GDAL/OGR is considered a major free software project for its "extensive capabilities of data exchange" and also in the commercial GIS community due to its widespread use and comprehensive set of functionalities.[3][4]
- ^ "Release 3.9.3". 14 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "FAQGeneral – GDAL". Trac.osgeo.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ^ Neteler M., Raghavan V. (2006). "Advances in Free Software Geographic Information Systems". Journal of Informatics. Archived from the original on 2011-08-23.
Extensive capabilities of data exchange are essential for the daily GIS work. GRASS profits from an external project, the GDAL/OGR library <http://www.gdal.org>. This FOSS library is also used even by global data vendors as well as in some proprietary GIS applications. Many of the raster and vector formats supported for reading can be also be generated.
- ^ Mark Wilcox (2009). Porting to the Symbian Platform: Open Mobile Development in C/C++. Wiley.
In the words of Howard Butler, a director of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation, "I see GDAL as the glibc/glibc++ of the geospatial software world. It's open, it provides core functionality, I can't understand how anybody gets anything done without it."